Field
The present invention relates to a technique for notifying a user of reception of information.
Description of the Related Art
Due to the widespread use of information communication terminals such as mobile phones, smartphones, and wearable terminals, it has become possible to easily send information (e.g., e-mail messages, image data) at any time to a person at a remote location. The mechanism for this kind of information communication can realize communication with a partner (the recipient of the information) with no restriction on time or location, and thus is very convenient. However, since it is possible to unilaterally send information regardless of the state of the partner, it is also possible to cause the partner inconvenience in some cases. For example, it is common for this type of terminal to perform notification using sound, vibration, or the like when information is received, and if such notification is performed while the recipient is sleeping, the recipient's sleep will be disturbed. If the received information is not important (e.g., if it is information of low urgency, such as information that may be checked after waking up), the recipient may feel displeasure at the fact that his or her sleep was disturbed.
Conventionally, as a means for avoiding such an inconvenience, the recipient (user of the terminal) turns off the power of the terminal or sets it to a silent mode (a mode in which a notification sound and vibration are turned off) before sleeping. However, in the case of turning off the power or setting the terminal to the silent mode, notification is no longer performed, and therefore there is a problem in that the recipient cannot notice when important information is received.
In order to solve the above-described problem, it is sufficient to be able to realize information communication or notification control in which consideration is given to the sender's desire to let the recipient check the information tomorrow if the recipient is asleep, or to have the recipient check the information right away because it is important, and in which consideration is given to the state of the recipient, such as being asleep. However, such a mechanism has not conventionally existed.
Note that Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2014-6595 discloses a method in which a notification apparatus in an earthquake notification system determines the sleeping state of the user and increases the volume of an earthquake notification the deeper the sleep of the user is and the larger the earthquake is. This method serves as a reference since the certainty with which the information is transmitted to the sleeping user is increased, but the above-described problem of transmitting information between individuals is not resolved.